1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic device and, more particularly, to an electronic device with a heating protection circuit and a heating protection method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with development of electronic science, different kinds of data processing devices with different functions and uses, such as personal computers, notebook computers, and industrial computers, are presented at the market. The industrial computers are widely applied to different kinds of fields.
Generally speaking, in response to different using environment, the industrial computers may have different corresponding specifications and functions. For example, if the industrial computer is used in a country at the higher latitude (such as a Northern European country), the temperature thereof at winter is lower and the temperature may be even lower than subzero ten degrees. Therefore, to allow the industrial computer to be normally operated under the lower temperature, the industrial computer needs to have a lower temperature booting specification and function. Once the operating temperature is lower than a certain predetermined value (such as subzero five degrees), a control element of the industrial computer can start a heating function to heat, thereby successfully booting up the computer.
However, since the present industrial computer with the lower temperature booting function can control switches of the control element responsible for heating only via firmware, once a heating signal has a malfunction (for example, the malfunction may be caused by errors of a firmware program) or a control voltage of the control element is abnormal, the control element may control a heater continually to heat to make a heating film or a heated element may be burnt down, such that the whole system fails to be operated successfully.